The 20,000-sq.-ft. structure will carry traditional hardware categories, lawn and garden, Benjamin Moore Paint, and niche items such as the Lodge Cast Iron brand of cookware, an American-made product.

The owners will invest $1.5 million in the project, and the Henry and Martinsville Economic Development Corp. (EDC) will also assist. “Economic development comes in different sizes, shapes and places,” said Jim Adams, chairman of the Henry County board of supervisors. “Traditionally, public sector entities concentrate on large business and industrial development, while retail development has been primarily left to the private sector.”

But, Adams said, the [EDC]will work “on everything that comes up because we know we need to. When it comes to economic development, no one stays in their lane -- we work the project, and today’s event is an example of that.”